ST. SIMONS ISLAND, GA. (AP) - Three weeks after they were on stage together for the closing ceremony at the Ryder Cup, Davis Love III and Jim Furyk wound up together in a place few people would have imagined _ in the final pairing at the McGladrey Classic, both wanting a win for different reasons.
Love made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole Saturday for a 4-under 66, giving him a share of the lead with Furyk, who also had a 66 by doing most of his work early. He made a 45-foot birdie putt over a slight ridge on the second hole, added three more birdies through six holes, and settled for eight pars at the end.
They were at 13-under 197, two shots clear of Arjun Atwal (69) and D.J. Trahan (66), two players who could avoid a return to Q-school with a big week at Sea Island.
Love, the 48-year-old tournament host and a Sea Island resident since he was 14, has gone four years without winning. Ryder Cup captains typically are at the end of their careers; the last American to win after being a captain was Tom Watson in 1996.
Furyk spoke openly this week about how even a win at the McGladrey Classic couldn’t erase a lot of sour memories this year, particularly his failure to close out wins at the U.S. Open and the Bridgestone Invitational, along with a 1-up lead over Sergio Garcia with two holes to play at the Ryder Cup.
He came to Sea Island out of respect to Love, a longtime friend, and showed up with moderate expectations. Playing relaxed throughout the week, Furyk has gone 38 holes without making a bogey.
HANABANK CHAMPIONSHIP
INCHEON, South Korea (AP) _ Suzann Pettersen shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to extend her lead to five strokes after the second round of the LPGA Tour’s HanaBank Championship.
The Norwegian was 13 under on Sky 72 Golf Club’s Ocean Course. She opened with a course-record 63.
South Korea’s So Yeon Ryu was second after a 70. Top-ranked Yani Tseng, the defending champion, was 7 under along with Germany’s Sandra Gal and South Korea’s Se Ri Pak. Pak had a 67, Gal shot 68, and Tseng 70.
PERTH INTERNATIONAL
PERTH, Australia (AP) _ Bo Van Pelt shot a 5-under 67 to take a one-stroke lead over fellow American Jason Dufner after the third round of the Perth International.
Van Pelt had a 12-under 204 total at Lake Karrinyup. Dufner also had a 67,
Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo, the second-round leader, was 10 under after a 73.
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